Quinn Rempfer

Pitching Trainer at Driveline Baseball

[Quinn Rempfer @RempferQ]

Can't forget to mention the gains he made in the weight room as well. His Athlete Score jumped from 41 to 52 (+11).

That’s 6 weeks of hard work, with plenty more to come.

[Quinn Rempfer @RempferQ]

+4.7 mph in 6 weeks.

Ian came into Driveline on 8/24 sitting 77.3 mph with his Fastball. At his retest on 10/8, he was sitting at 82 mph.

His pitching mechanics improved alongside his velocity. Six weeks of drill work targeting his specific mechanical inefficiencies paid off.

[Quinn Rempfer @RempferQ]

Outside of mechanics, We've also done some pitch-design work, working to achieve a more consistent and effective shape on his Fastball (Red) and Changeup (Green).

[Quinn Rempfer @RempferQ]

Ultimately, Perkins doesn't need to reinvent himself to become a reliable MLB pitcher.

The stuff already plays.

The goal in 2027 should be to put him in a role that maximizes that stuff, attack hitters with his best pitches, and limit the situations that have held him back as a starter.

For me, that could mean a move to the bullpen.

[Quinn Rempfer @RempferQ]

🧵 Jack Perkins’ path to becoming a reliable Major League pitcher in 2027 may not be through the rotation.

Perkins has shown flashes of legitimate MLB stuff, but consistency and durability remain questions. A move to the bullpen could allow the A’s to maximize his stuff while reducing the demands that have made starting difficult.

Here's what that could look like in '27. #Athletics

[Quinn Rempfer @RempferQ]

The Changeup could be a major weapon. It produced a .182 xBA and 37.5% Whiff% in '26, and Perkins has yet to allow a home run against it in his career.
I'd want to see him lean into it much more in 2027 against both LHH & RHH.

[Isaac Hines @isaac_hines2]

Gabe Speier dominates LHB but is struggling vs. RHB this season. How can he flip the script against righties in 2027? 🧵

[Josh Chambers @JoshChambers]

Justin Verlander reveals the game that convinced him to stop throwing as hard as he could

“The whole knock on me early in my career was that I threw too many pitches. I’d throw 120 pitches, but I was only going six innings.”

“I had a game in Boston where we really needed me to get deep in the game. Our bullpen was shot. I go out the first couple innings, and I look up and I’ve got sixty-something pitches.”

“To me, the most important thing for that game was to chew innings. I was like, ‘I can’t keep this pace.’ So I ended up slowing myself down. I was throwing fastballs at 89. I threw a changeup in that game at 91 and threw a fastball at 89 in the same game.”

“I just pulled the throttle way back. I was like, ‘Man, here, hit it. Put it in play.’ All of a sudden, I was like, ‘Man, I am really able to hit my spot.’”

“I basically took that mentality and flipped it going into the next season. Let me try starting games like this and then building up as I go. If I get in trouble, I’ve always got it in my back pocket.”

“I always viewed it from the hitter’s perspective as you’re facing three different pitchers in three different at-bats, and they’re progressively getting harder to hit.”

[Quinn Rempfer @RempferQ]

7/7 I wrote a full deep dive breaking down Cabrera's pitch usage matrix by platoon, Statcast movement plots, and arm-slot comparisons across his entire career.
Attacking the zone early & subtle pitch arsenal tweaks = top-of-the-rotation upside in 2027.
Read the full article here 👇
https://t.co/PiphWscH47

[Quinn Rempfer @RempferQ]

6/7 5️⃣ The 2027 Roadmap
Cabrera doesn't need to reinvent himself—he needs to restore the movement profiles and aggressiveness that made him elite:
Could Arm slot restoration help? Maybe.
Regardless, He needs to: Restore the CB shape + add a hard Cutter vs. LHH + Slider-heavy pitch mix + Zone-first mindset (FPS > 60%)

[Quinn Rempfer @RempferQ]

5/7 4️⃣ Attacking the Zone & Forcing Contact

During his career-best 2025 season (3.53 ERA), Cabrera posted a 62.7% first-pitch strike rate. In '26, it fell to 57.7%, putting him behind in counts far too often.
With a 47.2% career GB rate and 33%+ whiff rates across his offspeed, throwing strikes isn't a risk. He needs to shift from "avoiding contact" to "forcing contact" early in counts.

[Quinn Rempfer @RempferQ]

4/7 3️⃣ Neutralizing Lefties with a Hard Cutter

Lefties posted an .823 OPS vs. Cabrera in '26 because his arsenal was predictable—everything faded arm-side (FB, Sinker, CH), letting LHH dive out over the plate.
Even in his strong 25' season, LHH performed better against Cabrera than RHH.
The fix could possibly be adding a 92–94 mph glove-side Cutter to jam LHH in on the hands.
Also - Scrap the Sinker vs. LHH entirely • Expand back-foot Slider usage (up from 4%)

[Quinn Rempfer @RempferQ]

3/7 2️⃣ Rebuilding Usage Around His Best Stuff

In 2026, hitters posted an absurd .842 SLG on his 4-seamer and .494 SLG on his sinker.
Meanwhile, his slider held a .207 BA and an elite 44.2% whiff rate—yet he threw it just 11.5% overall.
His fastball/sinker need to become secondary surprise pitches while his Slider, Changeup, and Curveball take over as primary weapons.